Chapter 364: 言出法随

At this moment, to be so overjoyed was naturally not just because he had successfully emerged from the sword formation, but because he was about to acquire yet another magic treasure, and he simply couldn't contain himself.

If the Boundless Banner was his, then weren't the treasures it had just collected also his?

The umbrella that released flying swords had already been collected by the Boundless Banner. Now, if these flying swords could also be collected, wouldn't the entire set of flying sword treasures belong to him?

Earlier, to kill Wu Shanshan, he was even prepared to sacrifice the Immortal-Binding Silk. Yet, Wu Shanshan escaped, the Immortal-Binding Silk was saved, and he even managed to acquire a few treasures along the way.

The six golden wheels in You Mu's hands also looked formidable, and they too would likely end up with him eventually.

Calculating it all, he felt like he had won big. Suddenly, he thought Wu Shanshan's escape might not be a bad thing after all. If he had killed her immediately, how could he have acquired so many treasures?

All of a sudden, Wu Shanshan's escape didn't seem so infuriating anymore.

With his mood improved, he no longer cared about her escape. At worst, he'd have to work a bit harder later, being chased around. But with such a massive payout, it would be worth being dog-tired.

Just one magic treasure would be enough for him to live a comfortable and high-quality life in the cultivation world. How many did he have now?

While in exile, he had imagined getting rich upon his return, but he never expected to amass such wealth so quickly. He felt this trip to the Divine Fire Domain was truly worthwhile. Wasn't this the very definition of seeking fortune in danger?

With all these magic treasures in his possession, he felt like he could even rebel against the Celestial Court.

Why should he still fear Wu Shanshan?

With the Boundless Banner to back him, he was about to jump out and challenge all the sects. Let's see who would dare stand against him.

In other words, it was Wu Shanshan who should be fleeing in terror.

How could he not be ecstatic about such a sudden turn of events? If it weren't for needing to keep Xu Anchang and You Mu calm to get their treasures later, he wouldn't just be smiling broadly; he'd be roaring with arrogant laughter to the sky, embracing his moment of triumph.

He swiftly darted out of the sword formation's gap, stepping on a suspended flying sword. He let out a chuckle reminiscent of Wu Jinliang's, pointing at the sword formation before him and the inverted bowl-shaped one below. "Collect them, collect them, help me collect them! They're all mine!"

Xu Anchang couldn't help but glance at the other sects again, reminding him, "Brother Chun, are you sure they'll just stand by and watch us take their treasures? Shouldn't we make a quick escape?"

Shi Chun pointed at him, utterly at a loss for words with these people. Whether demonic cultivators or righteous ones, Xu Anchang or Gu Lianni, why were they all so timid? They wouldn't even bite the meat already in their mouths. Why were they even bothering to compete?

Reasoning was useless, and this wasn't the time for it. He simply bluffed, "I know what I'm doing. I have specific instructions from above. Just follow my lead and cooperate."

Alright, since he claimed it was orders from above, what could Xu Anchang say? He could only verify it later. Immediately, he cast a spell, waving the banner. Wherever it swept, the suspended flying swords vanished one by one.

After clearing the air, the three flew down to the ground. Xu Anchang continued to wave the banner, collecting the sword formation that had been chaotically arranged like an inverted bowl.

Yin Tianlu, who had been cautious due to Li Hongjiu's words, saw this and grew anxious. It was clear his magic treasures were about to be confiscated. He immediately pointed and roared angrily, "A mere Four-Cauldron Sect, how dare you act so presumptuously!"

Xu Anchang looked back.

But Shi Chun urged him from the side, "Ignore him, keep going."

He added in his mind: *It would be great if you dared to throw more treasures.*

He was now completely unhurried, with no intention of fleeing whatsoever.

Gu Lianni was speechless, finding it hard to believe. She never imagined Shi Chun had such a powerful hidden weapon. She never thought the Four-Cauldron Sect, which she previously dismissed, occasionally accompanying Shi Chun, was actually his greatest trump card. No wonder that fellow dared to act so recklessly alone; he had been prepared all along.

She had underestimated the number one person from the Heavenly Rain Meteorite Assembly.

Yuan Yao also offered a wry smile to Pang Hou, a meaning Pang Hou understood. If they had known earlier about this person's capabilities, they would have stuck to their agreed plan. Now that Mount Shudao had become so untrustworthy, they probably wouldn't get any future benefits.

However, for them, it wasn't entirely bad. At least, the secret of finding the Divine Fire Secret Technique was still exclusively known by Mount Shudao for now, and it was also good to interrupt the sects' pursuit of Shi Chun.

Hiding in the distance, Wu Shanshan, clutching her broken arm, watched the scene with tears of grief and indignation, her tears carried away by the wind.

In the crowd, Gong Shixi watched Shi Chun and his companions collecting treasures. His expression was extremely solemn, feeling that things were getting troublesome and that it would be too difficult to stop Shi Chun from claiming victory.

At the same time, he noticed Zuo Zisheng and others ahead looking around, seemingly bewildered. He followed their gaze and then his pupils suddenly contracted.

The sky in a certain direction suddenly lit up.

Not just in one spot, but the sky in other directions also seemed to light up one by one. The entire sky around them appeared to be brightening.

But it wasn't the natural brightening of a sunrise; there was a difference in color. A chaotic, multicolored glow rapidly illuminated the sky above them.

This was clearly not right. The gathered forces of the various sects immediately became alarmed and suspicious, and the clamor of voices rose.

"Martial Uncle," Guang Haoyou peeked out from behind Li Hongjiu, his voice questioning.

He had heard earlier that before the surrounding anomalies appeared, and before anyone else noticed anything, this Junior Martial Uncle had given an early warning, saying trouble was coming.

He naturally wanted to know what kind of trouble his Junior Martial Uncle was referring to, so he could be prepared.

As he peered out, he noticed that his Martial Uncle had been maintaining a "chopping finger" posture in front of him, with a slight vortex of energy swirling at his fingertip, and tendrils of spiritual essence continuously dissolving into the four directions of the sky.

Li Hongjiu tilted his head, glanced at him, and replied with a soft laugh, "Rest assured."

Guang Haoyou understood that it meant everything was fine. Seeing his Martial Uncle's chopping finger gesture, he truly felt at ease.

He had previously witnessed his Junior Martial Uncle's ability to move mountains with a single finger. Since his Junior Martial Uncle was prepared, he naturally felt reassured. He quickly pulled back, turned to his fellow disciples, gestured to them, and then pointed at Li Hongjiu, signaling everyone to relax and not to fear, as their Martial Uncle was there.

However, he soon found it hard to remain calm.

There was nothing he could do; the surrounding commotion was simply too alarming.

Creatures running on the ground, flying in the sky, all sorts of glowing monsters, formed a vast army, heading this way, converging from all sides.

Some emitted green flames, some red flames, some golden blazes – truly a full spectrum of colors.

Some were as massive as small mountains, others serpentine like pythons or dragons, some galloped like tigers, some had multiple legs like octopuses, some had wings like praying mantises, and some flapped like eagles. Countless monsters resembled these things, yet weren't quite like them.

The thundering spectacle, the dazzling array, was truly terrifying. They all surged towards them, breaking through the wind, heading directly for where the various sects had gathered.

There were also many non-glowing monsters.

It wasn't hard to guess why they suddenly converged. Perhaps the earlier fierce battle had been too loud, startling the monsters in the forbidden zone.

A single strange underground bat had caused heavy casualties. With this current scale, who would dare be careless?

Especially Yin Tianlu, who turned to look at Li Hongjiu, seemingly posing with his raised finger, wanting to shout, "This is what you call 'rest assured'?"

He almost fell for his trick. He immediately flashed among his Extreme Fire Sect disciples and gestured for them to leave.

Zuo Zisheng, Gu Lianni, and others all followed suit. No one wanted to take on the monsters head-on. Without knowing their true strength, evading them first was the best strategy.

Shi Chun had seen it earlier. He had noticed some anomalies from his high vantage point, but he didn't care. As long as the other sects didn't bother him, he believed he could still escape calmly, so he continued to let Xu Anchang collect the flying swords first.

Once the flying swords were all cleared, and seeing the terrifying threat closing in, he pulled out the Wind Scales from his hand.

Guang Haoyou noticed this and pointed, exclaiming, "Martial Uncle, they're trying to run!"

A group of Treasure Abundance Sect disciples had already gathered urgently behind Li Hongjiu. At this moment, sticking close to their Martial Uncle offered more security.

Li Hongjiu saw them. His primary focus was the masked man, and he was perfectly aware of his every move. A faint smile graced his face as he spoke, "Cultivating methods seeks perfection in oneself; crafting artifacts seeks spiritual objects. Man acts for himself, objects are external. Whether it is self-cultivation or the pursuit of external things, there is no good or bad. Since one cannot transcend, it is ultimately a pursuit. There is no need to covet everything. Today, see clearly how much you can obtain."

After speaking, he firmly pointed his finger and commanded, "Go!"

It was as if he had uttered a spell, or as if his words themselves commanded the law.

In that instant, the heavens and earth seemed to change colors, causing the group of Treasure Abundance Sect disciples to look around in startled dismay.

They saw that the surrounding wind pillars, each with slight electrical arcs at their tops, instantly became violent. Their rotational speed warped to a terrifying degree, their forms became fierce and distinct, and their roaring sounds seemed to tear at one's eardrums.

People on the ground, if they didn't forcefully cast spells to stabilize themselves, would certainly be torn away.

Shi Chun, wrapped in the Wind Scales as he ascended with Xu Anchang and You Mu, suddenly swayed violently. The three of them looked around in alarm, bewildered by the situation. How did the wind in this wind vortex suddenly become so monstrous?

The wind force was absurdly strong. Each scale of the Wind Scales was affected by this strange power; they couldn't gain speed, couldn't form a momentum, couldn't fly, and couldn't carry people. What was the point of flying?

If he didn't put them away soon, the Wind Scales' own scales would injure them.

Shi Chun quickly put away the Wind Scales and descended. While observing his surroundings, he took out the magic treasure Black Lotus and activated it. With this intensity, the monstrous wind had a widespread impact. He estimated that even if Wu Shanshan was still hiding in the area, she wouldn't be able to pay attention to him.

He prepared to use his fifth-grade magic treasure to escape. With its power, he should be able to break through quickly. Otherwise, he would likely be surrounded and beaten by the converging monsters. Who knew what kind of monsters those were? The fire bats alone were dangerous enough.

Among the charging monsters, the weaker ones had already been swept up by the strong winds, a large number dancing in the wind, their lights swirling, quite a sight. More monsters continued to charge forward against the powerful wind.

It wasn't just Shi Chun's group attempting to escape with Wind Scales; other sects were also trying. The results were the same: none of them managed to escape successfully. Instead, they collided with the surging monsters, instantly descending into chaos.

Only the Treasure Abundance Sect seemed to remain calm amidst the wind.

Guang Haoyou again pointed at Shi Chun and exclaimed, "Martial Uncle, they're using their magic treasures to escape!"

That was pure nonsense. Li Hongjiu's gaze had barely left the masked man. He was waiting, letting Shi Chun make his move to escape.

When the Black Lotus Dharma Idol unfurled, carrying Shi Chun and the two others as it powerfully surged skyward, Li Hongjiu, whose finger had been poised in the wind, flipped it up and pointed it at the Black Lotus Dharma Idol. Like uttering a true incantation, he spoke a single word: "Strike!"

The electrical arcs at the tops of several wind pillars suddenly surged like countless dragons and serpents, becoming brilliantly dazzling streams of light that continuously converged, then transformed into bolts of lightning that struck towards the Black Lotus Dharma Idol.

A single bolt of lightning made the Black Lotus Dharma Idol pause.

A second bolt seemed to leave the Dharma Idol somewhat stunned.

Then came continuous strikes of three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten bolts of lightning, each resounding with impact, a dense barrage. It was as if daring him: *Are you coming down, or not? Are you returning, or not?*